Midrash sobre Números 14:10

(16:10) "And it was, as Aaron spoke, etc.": What is the intent of this? We are hereby apprised that at the very time Aaron spoke this, so it transpired. "and they turned to the desert": R. Yehoshua says: They had no sooner turned than the Shechinah had appeared. R. Elazar says: They turned to the deeds of the forefathers (i.e., to repentance), it being written ("they turned to) 'the desert'" — Just as the desert is void of all, so the early fathers were void of all transgression and sin. "and, behold, the glory of the L rd appeared in the cloud": R. Yossi Haglili says: So long as Israel railed against Moses and Aaron, at once, "the glory of the L rd appeared in the cloud." Elsewhere it is written (Numbers 14:10) "and the entire congregation sought to stone them (Yehoshua and Calev)." What is written (of this)? "The glory of the L rd appeared in the tent of meeting," the Holy One Blessed be He saying here, (as it were,) "Better that the pillar of cloud be struck than that Moses and Aaron be stoned!"

(Numb. 14:1:) “Then the whole congregation raised (rt.: ntn) their voices; [and that night the people wept.]” This text is related (to Jer. 12:8), “[My heritage] has set (rt.: ntn) its voice against Me; therefore I have hated (rt.: sn') it.” The very voice with which you wept caused you to be punished by enemies (rt.: sn').⁴²Numb. R. 16:20, cont. Moreover, it was over this very generation that Isaiah said (in Is. 17:11), “In the day you plant, you see it flourish; and on the morning you sow, you see it bloom.” Isaiah said, “On the day that I went to plant you in the land, you produced slag; ‘and on the morning you sow, you see it bloom,’ it has flowered before the heat [of the day].” (Is 17:11, cont.:) “[But the] harvest flees on a day of sickness (nahalah) and human pain.” On the day that I went to give you your ancestral inheritance (nahalah), you became a manifesto in the world. And “human pain” refers to the divine punishment that you received as a legacy for [future] generations.⁴³Ta‘an. 29a; yTa‘an. 4:8 (or 5) (68d); Sot. 35a. Because the congregation wept in the night of the Ninth of Ab,⁴⁴See Ta‘an. 4:6: FIVE [CALAMITOUS] THINGS BEFELL OUR ANCESTORS ON THE SEVENTEENTH OF TAMMUZ AND FIVE ON THE NINTH OF AB…. ON THE NINTH OF AB IT WAS DECREED AGAINST OUR ANCESTORS THAT THEY SHOULD NOT ENTER THE LAND, THE TEMPLE WAS DESTROYED THE FIRST TIME AND THE SECOND TIME, BETHAR (THE CENTER OF THE BAR COCHBA REVOLT) WAS TAKEN, AND THE CITY [OF JERUSALEM] WAS PLOWED UNDER (after this revolt, but cf. Ta‘an. 29a). the Holy One, blessed be He, has said, “You have wept for nothing. I shall establish this night for you as [a night of] a weeping for [future] generations.” And from that hour a decree on the Temple was ordained for it to be destroyed and that the Children of Israel would go in exile among the nations. It is so stated (in Ps. 106:26-27), “So He raised His hand toward them [in an oath], to make them fall in the wilderness. And to make their seed fall among the gentiles, even to scatter them among the lands.” The raising of [the divine] hand was corresponding to the lifting up of the voice (in Numb. 14:1). (Numb. 14:2:) “And all the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them.” These are the sanhedraot. (Numb. 14:2, cont.:) “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt […].” [The matter] is comparable to a king at whose tribunal⁴⁵Gk.: Bema. a certain person came up for judgment.⁴⁶Numb. R. 16:21. He uttered a word from his mouth by which he convicted himself. The king set aside his bill of indictment⁴⁷Lat.: elogium; Gk.: elogion. and convicted him out of his own mouth. He said to him, “I am judging you by what has come out of your own mouth. So let it be for you according to what you have said.” Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them (in Numb. 14:29), “In this desert shall your carcasses fall.” (Numbers 14:28:) “’As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘as they have spoken in My ears.’” They began to say (in Numb. 14:3–9), “And why is the Lord bringing us [unto this land…]?” They also said to each other, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces [before the whole assembly of the congregation of the Children of Israel]. Moreover, Joshua ben Nun and Caleb ben Jephunneh, of those who had explored the land, rent their clothes and spoke unto the whole assembly of the Children of Israel, …. “If the Lord is pleased with us, [He will bring us into this land]…. Only do not rebel against the Lord….” The people said to them, “We have no faith in you! Our brothers care for us more than you do.” Thus it is stated (in Deut. 1:28), “Where are we going up to? Our brothers have caused [our hearts] to melt (with fear).” (Numb. 14:10:) “So the whole congregation said to stone [them with stones].” And who was “them?” Moses and Aaron. (Ibid., cont.:) “Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting.” [This incident] teaches that they threw stones, but the cloud intercepted them. (Numb. 14:11:) “Then the Lord said unto Moses, ‘How long ('ad-'anah) will this people scorn Me, and how long ('ad-'anah) will they have no faith in Me?’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I have uttered two cries (of 'ad-'anah) because of you.⁴⁸Numb. R. 16:22, cont.; see below, Numb. 4a:14. Your end shall be to cry out in the subjection of the four empires: (Ps. 13:2-3:) ‘How long ('ad-'anah), O Lord, will you forget me forever; how long ('ad'-'anah) will you hide Your face from me? How long ('ad-'anah) shall I take counsel in my soul with grief in my heart [all day]; how long ('ad-'anah) will my enemy be exalted over me?’ I cried out (in Numb. 14:27), ‘How long ('Ad-matay) shall this evil congregation [be murmuring against me]?’ Your end shall be to cry out (in Ps. 6:4), ‘My soul also is greatly dismayed; [and You, O Lord, how long ('ad-matay)]?’”

21 (Numb. 14:2) “And all the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them”: These are the sanhedraot. (Numb. 14:2, cont.) “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt […]”: [The matter] is comparable to a king at whose tribunal³¹Gk.: Bema. a certain person came up for judgment. He uttered a word from his mouth by which he convicted himself. The king set aside his bill of indictment³²Lat.: elogium; Gk.: elogion. and convicted him out of his own mouth. He said to him, “I am judging you by what has come out of your own mouth. So let it be for you according to what you have said.” Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them (in Numb. 14:29), “In this desert shall your carcasses fall.” (Numbers 14:28) “’As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘as they have spoken in My ears […]’”: They began to say (in Numb. 14:3–9), “And why is the Lord bringing us [unto this land…]?” They also said to each other, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces [before the whole assembly of the congregation of the Children of Israel]. Moreover, Joshua ben Nun and Caleb ben Jephunneh, of those who had explored the land, rent their clothes and spoke unto the whole assembly of the Children of Israel, …. “If the Lord is pleased with us, [He will bring us into this land]…. Only do not rebel against the Lord….” The people said to them, “We have no faith in you! Our brothers care for us more than you do.” Thus it is stated (in Deut. 1:28), “Where are we going up to? Our brothers have caused [our hearts] to melt (with fear).” (Numb. 14:10) “So the whole congregation said to stone [them with stones]”: And who was “them?” Moses and Aaron. (Ibid., cont.) “Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting”: [This incident] teaches that they threw stones, but the cloud intercepted them.

(Numb. 14:2:) AND ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL MURMURED AGAINST MOSES AND AGAINST AARON; AND THE WHOLE CONGREGATION SAID TO HIM (sic): WOULD THAT WE HAD DIED IN THE LAND OF EGYPT…. <The matter> is comparable to a king at whose tribunal⁵¹Gk.: Bema. a certain person came up for judgment.⁵²Tanh., Numb. 4:12, cont.; Numb. R. 16:21. He uttered a word from his mouth by which he convicted himself. The king set aside his bill of indictment⁵³Lat.: elogium; Gk.: elogion. and convicted him out of his own mouth. He said to him: I am judging you by what has come out of your own mouth. So let it be for you according to what you have said. Similarly the Holy One said to them (in Numb. 14:29): IN THIS DESERT SHALL YOUR CARCASSES FALL. They began to say (in Numb. 14:3–9): AND WHY IS THE LORD BRINGING US <UNTO THIS LAND> …? THEY ALSO SAID TO EACH OTHER: LET US APPOINT A LEADER AND RETURN TO EGYPT. THEN MOSES AND AARON FELL ON THEIR FACES < BEFORE THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL>. MOREOVER, JOSHUA BEN NUN AND CALEB BEN JEPHUNNEH, OF THOSE WHO HAD EXPLORED THE LAND, RENT THEIR CLOTHES AND SPOKE UNTO THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, SAYING:…. IF THE LORD IS PLEASED WITH US, <HE WILL BRING US INTO THIS LAND>…. ONLY DO NOT REBEL AGAINST THE LORD…. The people said to them: Do you have no faith in us? Our brothers care for us more than you do. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 1:28): WHERE ARE WE GOING UP TO? OUR BROTHERS HAVE CAUSED OUR HEARTS TO MELT (with fear). (Numb. 14:10): SO THE WHOLE CONGREGATION SAID TO STONE THEM WITH STONES. And who were they? Moses and Aaron. (Ibid., cont.:) THEN THE GLORY OF THE LORD APPEARED IN THE TENT OF MEETING. <This incident> teaches that they threw stones,⁵⁴See Sot. 35a, according to which they threw the stones against the one who is above. but the cloud received them.

... Jeremiah said: when I was coming up to Jerusalem, I lifted up my eyes and saw a woman sitting on the mountaintop, her clothes were black and her hair unkempt. She cried: I am seeking who will comfort me! And I cried: I am seeking who will comfort me! I came near and spoke with her, and I said to her: if you are a woman, then speak with me. If you are a spirit, then go away from me. She answered and said to me: Do you not recognize me? I am the one who had seven children. Their father went away to a land across the sea and as I was going up to cry for him, a prophet said to me ‘the house collapsed on your seven children and killed them.’ I do not know for whom I am crying and for whom my hair is unkempt.I answered and said to her: you are no better than my mother Zion, who was made a pasture for the beasts of the field. She answered and said to me: I am your mother Zion, I am she – the mother of seven, so it is written “She who bore seven has been cut off…” (Jeremiah 15:9) Jeremiah said to her: the blows you have received are like those of Job. Job’s sons and daughters were taken from him, your sons and daughters were taken from you. From Job I took his silver and gold, from you I have taken your silver and gold. I cast Job into the trash heap, you I have made into a heap of trash. And just as I came back and consoled Job, so too in the future I will return and console you. I doubled Job’s sons and daughters, and in the future I will double your sons and daughters. I doubled Job’s gold and silver, and in the future I will do so for you. I shook the trash from Job, and of you it is said “Shake yourselves from the dust, arise, sit down, O Jerusalem…” (Isaiah 52:2) Flesh and blood built you and flesh and blood destroyed you. But In the time to come I will build you, because thus it is written “The Lord is the builder of Jerusalem; He will gather the outcasts of Israel.” (Psalms 147:2) Amen! May the Holy One fulfill what is written about us speedily and in our day “And the redeemed of Zion shall return, and they shall come to Zion with song, with joy of days of yore shall be upon their heads; they shall achieve gladness and joy, and sadness and sighing shall flee.” (Isaiah 35:10)